Household Survey on the Prevalence of Drug and Stimulant Substances use in Tehran's Province

Drug abuse is a long-standing social and public health problem in Iran. Access to accurate, reliable and up-to-date data related to drug use is essential for planning and policy-making for prevention of, treatment of, and harm reduction related to, drug abuse. The purpose of this study was to access accurate data regarding drug abuse prevalence and substance use in Tehran Province population. This study was a cross-sectional household survey with a sample of 6024 individuals aged 15-64 years residing in Tehran Province. Data on demographic characteristics and drug use during the previous week, month and year and the whole lifetime were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire. A total of 5646 individuals participated in the study. The lifelong prevalence of cigarette-smoking, hookah-smoking, alcohol consumption and drug use were 21.9%, 26.8%, 12.1% and 7.3%, respectively. The corresponding proportions during the previous week were 12.9%, 10.5%, 1.8% and 2.2%. The prevalence of cigarette-smoking, hookah-smoking, alcohol consumption and drug use is high in Tehran Province. The prevalence of lifelong cigarette and hookah smoking and alcohol consumption is higher, while that of drug use is lower, than the respective national averages.